Walter L. Ast

WAUNAKEE -- Walter L. Ast, age 76, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 , at the HospiceCare Center in Fitchburg from a rare disease.   Walter, born on December 20, 19 32 in Dodgeville to Walter and Florence (Cutler)   Ast, was raised on a dairy farm and graduated from Dodgeville High School in 1951. He had a keen interest in airplanes and flying, and when he received his pilot's license at the age of 16, he was the youngest pilot in the state. He enlisted in the Air Force and was a top gunner on a B-29, flying 27 missions while stationed in Okinawa during the Korean War. After his discharge, he married his high school sweetheart, Doris Yager, and settled in Dodgeville, where he delivered Hamm 's beer and was a heavy equipment operator for the building of Interstate 90. In 1961, Walter started working for Oscar Mayer, mostly as a truck spotter, and in 1963 the family moved to Oregon, Wisconsin, where they had a 6-acre truck farm and roadside stand, Country Gardens, for 10 years. In 1973, the family moved to Waunakee, and Walter retired from Oscar Mayer in 1995.   In his earlier years, Walter enjoyed hunting, fishing, coin collecting, metal detecting, flying his airplane, and exploring his Swiss heritage in the ancestral home of Wimmis, Switzerland. After retirement, he made many wood carvings and scrollsaw plaques and enjoyed reading, puzzles, and vacationing in Ixtapa , Mexico . He is survived by his wife, Doris; his seven children, Marjorie (Lew) Bass, Mary Lou (Dan) Clayton, Larry (Nellie Vallarta-Ast) Ast, Carol (Jeff) Pollock, William (Julie) Ast, David (Dawn Gander-Ast) Ast, and Brian (Joleen Jones) Ast; 9 grandchildren, Angela, Tami, Stacy, Jesse, Jessica, Ryan, Emily, Sam, and Maggie; great-grandchildren Ellie and Tessa; step grandchildren Brooke and Taylor; step great-grandchildren Lilith and Rhea and two sisters, Marian (Jack) Reynolds and Arlene Paynter.  He is also survived by several in-laws: Darlene (George) Thompson, Leo (Josephine) Yager, Mary ( Vernon ) Forseth, Suzette Yager, George Yager, Ted (Deloris) Yager, William Yager, and Grace (Don) Hasburgh. He is preceded in death by his parents, step-father Robert Stanley and brother-in-law Lloyd Jewell. A memorial Mass will be held on Friday, September 18, 2009 , at 11:00 a.m. at ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH, 209 South Street , Waunakee, with Monsignor James Gunn officiating.   A visitation will be held at WINN-CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 5785 Hwy Q, Waunakee on Thursday (TONIGHT), September 17, 2009 from 4 to 7 pm and at the church on Friday from 10:00 am until the time of Mass. Internment will be held at a later date at East Side Cemetery , Dodgeville. In lieu of flowers, the family will designate a memorial at a later date. The family would like to express their thanks and gratitude to the staffs at University Hospital and HospiceCare for their compassionate care and assistance.